The present invention relates to a method for controlling a display device of a motor vehicle.
The following discussion of related art is provided to assist the reader in understanding the advantages of the invention, and is not to be construed as an admission that this related art is prior art to this invention.
Modern motor vehicles have a plurality of differently configured driver assist systems. These can for example be configured as parking assistants, pedestrian safety systems, blind spot assistants, or emergency brake assistants. Typically, at least one detection device is provided in these cases, which detects environmental information from the environment of the motor vehicle. The detection devices which represent an environmental sensor system of the motor vehicle are for example configured as ultrasound sensors, radar sensors, LIDAR sensors or optical sensors. The at least one detection device is operatively connected with a control device by means of which the detected environmental information can be analyzed. For this, in particular corresponding software can be provided which enables image recognition, so that objects present in particular in the vicinity of the motor vehicle are recognizable and identifiable. This enables assessment of a driving situation of the motor vehicle, which in particular includes early recognition of a collision risk.
In the parking assistant, an area behind the motor vehicle is in particular optically detected. By means of the detected environmental information, actuating interventions are automatically adjusted by means of the control device, in particular to change a yaw angle of the motor vehicle. For informing a driver in the motor vehicle, the environmental information which describes the area behind the motor vehicle is displayed on a central display device which in particular can be integrated in an instrument panel of the motor vehicle.
In pedestrian safety systems, a vicinity of the motor vehicle is monitored by means of the at least one detection device and the data detected in the course of this monitoring are analyzed with regard to whether a possible collision with the pedestrian is impending. The control device of the driver assist system analyses the environmental information and, in case a pedestrian was detected in the vicinity of the motor vehicle, outputs an abstract warning signal and/or an acoustic warning on the central display device.
In the blind spot assistant, areas in the vicinity of the motor vehicle are detected, which cannot be seen by the driver of the motor vehicle. In particular, these are angular ranges which, regarding a sitting position of the driver, are covered by a column of the motor vehicle. For avoiding accidents and collisions, the items of environmental information which correspond to the covered angle ranges are displayed on the display device.
It would be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved method for controlling a display device, so that the displayed environmental information can be perceived particularly intuitively.